Tobuscus: Some Things Happen for a Reason
by ilovesideburns
Summary: Ali is dragged to the club with her best friend, Dee, and is more than anxious to get out. But what happens when she encounters the strange, yet appealing, character of Toby Joe Turner? Toby X OC.
1. Chapter 1

"You have got to be kidding me..."

There I was standing in the door way of an enormous club, music pounding loud enough for me to feel the bass vibrations in the floor. Lights flashed in every corner of the club and there were people all over: dancing on the floor, drinking their hearts away at the bar, and relaxing on luxurious arm chairs. Voices yelled over the music and fists pumped up and down to the beat as ladies squealed like wild animals. I rolled my eyes as I noticed a guy trying to hit on a girl, only to have her drink splashed in his face.

"Hey," my friend yelled to me, "Let's go grab a drink!"

I shrugged and let her and her friend drag me over to the bar. _SHE_was the reason I was there. She had coaxed me into going out to the club with her that evening, telling me it would be fun and that she would make sure we got home at a "descent" time. Every bit of my being wanted to refuse but, being the good friend I was, I let her take me.

I ordered a couple of shots from the bartender, thanking him before downing them rapidly. My friend, Dee, ordered herself a large glass of who knows what, settling herself beside a muscular blonde to strike up a rather flirtatious. I grumbled as I noticed her getting close to him. I gestured to the bartender. "Ya know what, gimme three more of these."

Five minutes past and I had downed a total of seven shots. I surprisingly wasn't affected by it as much as I had expected.

But my frustration took me over instead.

Without thinking, I adjusted my dress and made my over to join a group of rowdy girls at the dance floor. They welcomed me fully. A handful of guys tried to join in with us and we complied. I carelessly chose one of them and danced with him, allowing him to hold my hips as he pulled me up against his well-built body. I let him grind against me for a few songs before dismissing myself to go to the bathroom. He said goodbye in a flirtatious manner and I walked to the bathroom.

"Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck!" I yelled the minute the bathroom door closed. I was the only one inside. I leaned over the sink and stared at my reflection. "What the hell do you think you are doing?!" I screamed at my reflection, "You are an idiot. That guy was such a tool!"

I paced around, shaking my head. 'I shouldn't even be here...' I thought to myself. I leaned against the wall, facing the mirror. 'I should just go sit down.'

I sighed and walked back out into the obnoxiously noisy club. I walked nonchalantly, ignoring catcalls and dirty smack talk, to the lounging area across from the dance floor to take a seat on a large purple cushioned armchair. Ordering another shot from the waiter, I watched as people danced wildly to the dubstep music blasting from the surrounding speakers. There was one guy that attracted my attention out of everyone. He wore a forest green button down shirt with a black tie and a pair of black pants. I was surprised by his choice of footwear: a pair of red and black Heelies. His brown locks were curly and rather messy, but they weren't unattractive. I was fascinated by him. He danced wilder than anyone else, flailing his arms and jumping around like a mad-man. Plus, he was really cute.

The waiter came by with my shot, handing it to me. "Can I get a few more of these? Thanks." I requested the drinks without taking my eyes off the guy dancing. He was panting as he threw himself around shouting. "_WHEEEW_!" He exclaimed. I giggled at his funny facial expressions. He was an odd character but I liked it.

I downed all the shots within a minute from their arrival. I was debating.  
'Should I go over there and dance with him?'  
'Should I offer to buy him a drink?'  
I didn't know what the wiser option was, but the alcohol in my system didn't bother to wait for my decision. Without thinking about it, I stood up and joined the crowd of dancers, making sure to stand where he could see me. As the song progressed, I moved closer toward him. He caught sight of me and raised his brow with curiosity. His hazel eyes were deep as they met with mine. As the song was ending, he began moving toward me.

"Hi." He said when he finally reached me.

"Hey." I responded with a smile, the cutest smile I could possibly muster.

He smiled back, grinning from ear to ear, sweat running down the side of his face. "Can... Can I have a dance? With you?" He asked as the song ended.

I nodded. "Sure." A smirk slowly pulled at my lips and I leaned in to whisper in his ear, "If you can handle it."

"Oh ho ho!" He exclaimed with a chuckle before whispering back, "The real challenge is if you can handle me..."

As luck would have it, one of my favorite songs began blasting: "Tonight I'm Lovin' You" by Enrique Iglesias. He started dancing, shaking his hips back and forth to the beat of the song. I mimicked his dance, laughing as I got the feeling I looked like a huge dork. But I didn't care. I kept my eyes locked on him. He grinned at me and took a hold of my hips bringing me closer as he mouthed the words to the song:  
Here's the situation, been to every nation. Nobody's ever made me feel the way that you do. You know my motivation, given my reputation, please excuse me I don't mean to be rude...

"But tonight I'm lovin' you." He whispered playfully.

I bit my lip, putting my arms around his neck as we danced. We were as close as possible, bodies grinding against each other to the rhythm of the song. When Pitbull's part of the song came around, I finally got a chance to ask him what his name was.

"My name's Toby." He answered, smiling in a surprisingly sexy way.

I leaned against him and whispered in his ear, "I'm Ali. But you can call me whatever you want..."

His face nearly went blank: his hazel eyes were wide and his mouth gaped open. I furrowed my brow in confusion. After a moment he blinked and took a deep breath. "Whoa..." He said staring at me with bulging eyes, "I am sooo tempted to just call you hothothothothot! Sheesh! God! You're just too... Wow!"

I laughed, blushing slightly. "If you want..."

Toby chuckled. "I'm just kidding..." He said pulling me up against him, "You're too beautiful to be called anything like that. I think Ali is the perfect name..."

A smile pulled at my lips as I got lost in his deep hazel eyes. There was something strangely familiar about him that made me swear I had seen him before. However, I couldn't figure it out.

Toby's eyes grew soft as he stared into mine. He held me against him in a surprisingly gentle way, hands holding my hips. I played with his curly brown locks of hair, twirling them around my fingers. He smiled and moved his face closer to mine. I did the same, closing my eyes to prepare for his sweet kiss...

•••

Next thing I knew, I was pinned up against the wall of the girl's bathroom with my legs wrapped around Toby's hips, his soft lips crashing into mine. I held his scruffy jaw line as he kissed me roughly. He held his hands under my thighs and pressed his torso against my chest to hold me against the cold tiled wall. His tongue brushed my bottom lip, pleading for entrance. I was more than happy to comply. His tongue slid over mine and his warm breath mixed with my own. I could taste the alcohol he had been drinking and I was pretty sure he could taste mine. Our breathing quickened as our kiss intensified. We would only pause for a second, panting, before our lips would come crashing back together. My hands, which had been tugging at his hair, shifted subconsciously down to his collar. They quickly took off his tie, letting it fall to the floor. With that accomplishment, they began working at his shirt, undoing the buttons to reveal his surprisingly toned chest.

He shifted to kiss the length of my neck as I started to run my hands along his warm bare chest. I panted heavily, an after-effect of the kissing, running my hands down to his abdomen. He had a strong midsection with well-built abs. My eyes shut as he bit my neck gently. I trembled, trying to hold back the noise that tried to escape from my mouth. He kissed up the length of my neck and chin until his lips finally found mine again.

His right hand pulled out from underneath my thigh and moved to the top of my dress. Just as he was pulling one of the straps off of my shoulder, the door opened and a red-headed girl walked in. Toby pulled his lips away abruptly and shot his head around to see her. The girl stared at us with wide eyes before turning and running back out of the bathroom.

As soon as the door shut, I broke out into hysterical laughter. "Oh my god! Did you see the look on her face? That was priceless! She was like..." I paused. Toby's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell down onto the floor, causing me to tumble along after him. He had passed out and, after my head smacked against the tiled floor, so did I.


	2. Chapter 2

My eyes shot open and I gasped, sitting up quickly. I looked around to find I was lying in my room, blankets torn from my bed and pillows scattered. I rubbed my head, which pounded madly, making me grind my teeth. I climbed out of bed and walked out into the hallway of my apartment. When I entered the kitchen, I found my sister sitting at the counter with headphones in her ears, staring at her laptop screen.

"What's up Big Foot?" I greeted her as I opened the fridge.

I jumped as she hit me with an apple that had been sitting on the counter. "Don't call me that, whale!" She hissed.

I laughed and poured myself a glass of orange juice. "Well, sorry!"

"How'd the clubbing go?" she asked, pulling her headphones out of her ears and turning to face me as a grin spread across her freckled face. "Oh, you probably don't remember any of it, little miss hangover."

I frowned. "Shut up... I remember some of it!"

"Some."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, what do you expect me to remember! I was piss drunk!" I chugged half of the glass of juice in my hand, rubbing my aching temple with my free hand.

"Well hopefully you remember this guy." She said, handing me a small piece of what appeared to be a torn paper towel. "I found it in the hall outside of your room. You probably dropped it when you stumbled into bed last night."

I looked at the paper towel. Written in pen was a phone number accompanied with a name.

'Toby' it said beneath the numbers.

"So...?" My sister asked with raised eyebrows, "Who's Toby?"

It took me a moment to try to remember the events of the previous night. "Oh yeah. He was this really cute guy I danced with last night! Oh my gosh he was crazy. He danced like a madman. He had gorgeous hazel eyes and curly brown hair..." I sighed. "He was super hot..."

She laughed at my infatuated sigh. "Yeah, well you should call him sometime." She said, turning back to her laptop.

I grinned to myself as I thought about his adorable smile. I put his number on the counter. "What are you doing?" I asked my sister.

"Watching YouTube videos."

"Oh cool! Who?"

"Tobuscus."

I leaned over her shoulder as I took a sip of orange juice. I watched as she clicked the play button on the video player and waited for the video to buffer, taking a long drink of the tangy juice. The moment the video started, my eyes bulged open and I gulped the remaining juice involuntarily.

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed, choking, "Oh my fucking god!" I put my glass on the counter. "Holy fucking shit! No way! There is noooo way!"

My sister turned and stared at me, brow raised. "Are you okay?"

I pointed at the screen and held back a scream as I yelled, "Him! That's HIM! That's Toby!"

Her mouth gaped open. "No..."

"OH MY... JESUS CHRIST! TOBY IS... HOW THE FUCK DID I NOT REALIZE IT?" I pulled my hair as I paced around the kitchen. "Holy crap..."

"You met Tobuscus? Oh my gosh! That's awesome!" My sister squealed, "And you got to dance with him! So cool!"

I looked at her with an expression of horror: one of the scenes from the night flashed in front of me. "Oh... Oh my god..." I whispered.

"Wh... What?"

I stared blankly at the countertop, grasping my hair with my hand. "I made out with him." I muttered inaudibly.

"What'd you say?"

"I made out with him! Oh my shit! I fucking made out with him in the girl's bathroom!"

My sister's jaw dropped to the floor. She was at a loss for words. "You're joking!" She exclaimed.

"I'm not kidding!" The aching in my head grew stronger, "Holy crap... I fucking made out with Toby fucking Turner in the bathroom at a club... And I can barely remember it!"

She crossed her arms. "That's what you get for drinking..."

"Shhhh! Shut up, Sasquatch. I'm trying to remember it!"

She rolled her eyes and flipped me off, glancing quickly at the wall clock. "Whatever, Moby Dick. Go deal with your damn drinking problems. I'm out of here."

"Where are you going?"

"To go shopping with Ashley and Mariana." She replied, shutting off her computer, "I'll be back around 4."

"Oh." I said, slightly taken aback by her abrupt exit, "Alright then... See ya."

"You should call him, ya know!" she shouted back to me before she shut the door.

I looked over at the little paper that held his number. My heart raced as scenarios played through my head. I didn't know what to do: should I call him or forget about him and everything that happened?

Neither option sounded like the best choice to me; but I had to choose.

And so I chose.

With one swift action, I grabbed his number and rushed into my bedroom to grab my cell, dialing frantically as to not allow my mind to stop me. As the phone started ringing, my heart began pounding like a drum. Every ring drew a breath from me until finally, a groggy voice answered the phone on the fifth ring.

"Hello...?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I prepared to reply to the tired sounding voice on the other end of the line. "Um... Hi. Is this Toby?" I asked rather quietly.

"Yeah. Who's this?"

My heart skipped a beat as the sleepy voice confirmed the identity of my caller. "Ah! This is, uh, I mean, I'm Ali. Er... We met at the club last night and apparently you left me your number... So..."

Suddenly, Toby didn't sound so tired and I was sure he had just sat up abruptly. "Oh! Hothothothot! Haha!" He exclaimed with a quick chuckle, "Wow, I, uh, didn't expect that you'd actually call me..."

"Why is that?"

"Well... Just don't have much luck when it comes to ladies. That's all... So anyway," His voice shifted to a hilarious tone as he asked, "Was'sup girrrrl? Whatchu doin'?"

I giggled. "Uh, nothin' really. Just woke up with probably THE worst hangover ever."

Toby chuckled - a laugh that became music to my ears - and replied, "Shoooo, girrrl, you ain't the only one."

"Hah! I figured. You sounded like you woke up as a zombie when you answered the phone!"

"Excuse my zombieness. I barely woke up too... Well, actually, YOU woke me up so it's all YOUR fault!" He let out a fake cry, mimicking a teenage girl.

"Sorry!" I exclaimed, giggling. "How was I to know you'd be sleeping past noon?"

"Uh, because you were with me last night and probably saw my amazing drunk dancing skills. I gotta say, the time when I dance the most epicly is... Whenever I'm NOT drunk." He let out a loud laugh. "Lucky you! You saw the failure of my drunken dancing!"

"Yay!" I said in fake excitement. "So um, thanks for dancing with me yesterday. I was in a pretty pissy mood before, but you made it better."

"Oh? A thank you just for dancing? Never heard that one before..."

I blushed. "Yeah, well..."

"It's no problem, of course!" Toby exclaimed happily, "I have to thank you as well!"

"Uh... Why?"

"Because you took care of me after I passed out."

I felt my brow raise. "I did..?"

"Haha. Yeah... You don't remember?" He sounded curious.

I closed my eyes as I strained my brain, trying to recall everything that happened the evening before. Memories of drinking, frustration, dancing, and Toby's adorable grin flashed before me. Scenes blurred to the girl's bathroom where I was pinned between the wall and Toby's strong body. Suddenly we collapsed and everything went black. It didn't take long after I passed out for me to open my eyes.

I sat up and rubbed the back of my head, cringing at the aching pain. I looked left to see Toby, lying unconscious on the floor beside me. Panicking, I gasped and crawled over, picking his head off the floor. "Toby! Toby, are you okay?" I exclaimed, shaking him slightly, while supporting his head.

His deep hazel-green eyes cracked open slowly as he took a deep breath. He looked around briefly before locking eyes with me. "Wh... What happened?"

"You passed out after that random girl came in here." I answered, helping him sit up.

He groaned, cringing at what I assumed was the throbbing of his head. I leaned him up against the wall. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"My head... Hurts..." He groaned.

I examined the back of his head and touched it gently where I noticed a slight amount of swelling.

"Ahh!" Toby yelled in agony as I touched it.

I pulled away quickly. "I'm so sorry!" I apologized quickly, "Ummm... I'm gonna go get some ice! I'll be right back!"

And I did.

I returned with a bag of ice that I had gotten from the bar and knelt beside him. "Okay, this is going to hurt a bit... But it'll quickly go away."

I gently put the ice on his swelling head, him shouting in pain as it settled. I held it there for a while before sitting down beside him to let him hold it there himself. I watched him as he breathed slowly with his eyes shut tight and jaw clenched. My head throbbed too, but I didn't let it bother me; his care came first...

"You still there?"

I opened my eyes, taking in the familiar scene of my kitchen. "Huh? Oh! Yeah! Sorry, 'bout that." I apologized quickly, "I was just trying to remember what happened... My hangover is giving me a total memory wipe!"

Toby laughed. "I know the feeling. I can only remember bits and pieces... Like, when I finally got to meet you, when we danced, and when we..." He paused, hesitating to finish the thought. "Well, when we, you know what I mean."

I felt my face flush red. "Yeah... I'm sorry about that. That was a little much. I don't know what came over me!"

"Alcohol."

I giggled. "True. That's what it was. I'm sorry though."

"Ahh, don't apologize! I didn't mind it at all; in fact I thought it was... Wait! I mean, I was drunk too! So it's not your fault!"

My face went blank. "What were you about to say there, Toby?"

"N...Nothing! Just forget what I said! I talk too much; I was just rambling." He quickly retorted, a hint of panic in his voice.

I shrugged and responded. "Okay... If you say so... Mr. Makes Out with Girls in the Bathroom." I added a playful giggle, "And that's just when I met you."

He cleared his throat and I imagined his cheeks flushing a rosy pink. "Yeah..."

Suddenly his tone quickly changed to a rather sly and playful expression. "Well..." he said, "I'm going to have to take you out on a 'proper' date then, to make it up to you."

"Huh? A... Date?" My eyes grew a bit wider at the mentioning of the word.

He chuckled a fake sinister laugh. "Oh, yes, my dear. A date."

I felt a smile tug at my lips. "Hmmm... Fine, then! When shall I meet you, Sir Toby?" I said in a rather legitimate British accent.

"My lady, I shall pick you up in my royal carriage on Saturday morning, and we shall ride off toward a land of adventure!"

"At what hour of the morning, my Lord?"

"At eight, young maiden. We shall leave rather early in order to succeed on our quest for adventure!" He exclaimed dramatically.

"And what of my belongings?"

"There is nothing needed. I shall take good care if you, my lady."

I responded, "Very well, then."

Toby's accent faded as he chuckled. "So, where can I pick you up?"

I gave him the address and my apartment number, holding back the exclamations of excitement that boiled within me. "So, I'll see you Saturday." I said, grinning into the phone, wishing I could see him already.

By the tone of his response, I could tell he was almost as happy as I was. "Yup! I'll be there at eight!"

"I can't wait."

"Neither can I." He said softly. The near whisper nearly sent chills of joy through my body.

We each said our goodbye before he hung up the phone. The second I ended the call on my line, I let out a squeal. "Ahhhhh! Oh my gosh!" I shouted, "I'm going on a date with Toby freakin' Turner!"

My heart pounded in excitement, cancelling out the throbbing of my headache. I had never thought I would get a guy at a bar, but I did! And it was HIM of all people! I was shocked I hadn't even realized who he was, but that wasn't what mattered; all that mattered was I had a date with a cute, funny guy that I was totally in to. I had to focus on one thing: getting him to like me.

He must have liked me already though, considering we had nearly torn each other's clothes off the night we met. But, that was besides the point.

I called Dee a few minutes later to tell her everything. She was shocked by it all, but none the less excited for me.

"Where do you think he's taking you?" She asked intently.

I shrugged. "I have NO idea! Apparently some place where we are gonna have an 'adventure'. Whatever his definition of adventure is anyway."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Seeing as it's Toby, that could be anywhere." she said after a moment.

"Yeah... I thought so." I said with a sigh, "Well I guess I'll have to wait a couple days to find out!"

I finished the conversation with Dee after a half hour of our everyday gossip and jokes, and then spent the rest of the day watching Tobuscus videos and wondering, 'How in the world am I going to be good enough for this guy?'


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday morning came around faster than I had anticipated. I woke up around 6 and rushed to get ready. I put on a cute varsity style shirt and a pair of jean shorts accompanied by my comfy black Toms. I grabbed my I-Phone, wallet, and camera, tossing them into my purse. By the time I had straightened my hair, put on a little makeup, and eaten breakfast, it was 7.

"Another hour..." I said to myself as I stared at the clock. I was so anxious, I had gotten ready in an hour.

Sighing, I turned on the T.V. and flipped through all the channels until I settled on watching an episode of Grey's Anatomy. Surprisingly, it was an intense episode that made me sit up and lean anxiously toward the screen. "Don't do it... No..." I would murmur as the shooter walked by another room. Then, when he shot one of the doctors, I nearly shouted, "What?! No way! Wait... Oh never mind, he's an asshole anyway..."

Just as the show ended, there was a knock on the door. I jumped up as I turned off the T.V, my heart pounding. I walked over to the door, threw my purse over my shoulder, and took a deep breath. I then opened the door to the moment of truth...

"Hey!" Toby exclaimed with a grin spread across his face.

I nearly melted in my shoes as I noticed his adorable dimples. "Hi!" I replied, "Long time, no see."

He chuckled. "Well it was probably best we didn't meet up during our period of hangover zombieness. I nearly screamed like a sissy girl when I looked in the mirror that morning!" He said, "'Ah! Who the hell..?! Oh! It's just me. Hah hah!'"

I giggled. "I was scared when you answered the phone. I thought you had turned into one!"

"I was pretty close to it." He said with another laugh, "So, you ready for the adventure?" He beamed excitedly.

"Yup!" I exclaimed, closing the door and locking it. "Where are we going anyway?"

He smirked. "That, young lady, is a surprise."

"A surprise. Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah!" He seemed way too excited as he started walking down the stairs from my apartment. Why did it have to be a surprise?

I climbed into the passenger's seat of his car as he climbed into the driver's. As soon as I was buckled, he held out his hand toward me. I furrowed my brow as I noticed he was holding his black tie. "What is this for?" I asked, puzzled by his gesture.

"You gotta be blindfolded!" He said, smiling widely.

I glared at him playfully. "Why?" I asked, "Are you kidnapping me and taking me to an undisclosed location?"

He pounded his fist on the wheel. "Damn! I told Steven that was classified information! Thanks a lot Steven!" He said with fake anger as he gazed off into the distance. He then chuckled and replied, "I just want it to be a surprise, that's all!"

I sighed with false exasperation. "Fine!" I said, grabbing the tie from his hand, "But if I end up in the dumpster with all my memory wiped, I'm going to blame it on you!"

"Ah, but if you have your memory wiped, you won't have any recollection of me." He snickered, a rather seductive grin spread across his face.

I laughed and hit him playfully on the shoulder. "Whatever! Just go." I said, as I tied the piece of clothing around my eyes, allowing my vision to be engulfed by the darkness.

I heard him laugh and turn on the radio. I could imagine his adorable dimples as he smiled and hummed along to the song that played.

"Don't worry," he said as he pulled out of the parking spot, "It shouldn't take TOO long. As long as traffic cooperates with me."

"Toby, this is L.A..."

"Yup. My optimism will not surpass the laws of urban transportation congestion." He chuckled yet again.

I laughed along with him. "Hey," I said, "Can't I have a hint of where we are going?"

"Uhhh... Sure. It's a place where lots of people... Wait! No! I can't give you a hint! That'll give it away."

I crossed my arms and slouched in my seat, pouting. "Fine..." I grumbled in disappointment.

He patted my knee with his hand. "Don't fuss." He said, reassuringly, "It's a good surprise!"

I held back the urge to take off the tie that blinded me. I wanted to see his reassuring smile. I wanted to stare into his deep hazel-green eyes. Hell, I wanted to see where in the world I was going.

About a half hour from that point, I felt him park the car. I tensed up and unbuckled my seat belt as soon as I heard him unbuckle his own. "We're here!" He exclaimed, excitement clear in his voice.

"Can I take it off now?" I pleaded childishly.

"Oooo, girrrrl, you can take it all off if you want to..." He teased.

I hit him blindly on the shoulder. "Toby!"

"I'm just kidding!" He said, laughing loudly, "Yeah, go ahead!"

I quickly undid the knot in the back and quickly pulled the midnight black tie away from my face. I swiftly opened the car door assuring I didn't hit the car next to me- and stepped out to a strangely familiar sound: the echoing scream of people having the time of their lives. My eyes went wide as I caught sight of the towering rollercoasters that lay out just beyond the extensive parking lot.

I turned to look at Toby as he shut his car door, adjusting his belt. "You brought me to Six Flags?" I asked, holding back the swelling emotion.

He nodded with his thin lips pulled into the sweetest smile. "Yes ma'am! Whataya think?"

I shut the door and let out a small squeal. "I think you are awesome!" I exclaimed as I watched one of the coasters ascend the lift.

He chuckled quietly. "Well, why don't we enjoy the rides inside the park instead of watching them out here?" He said, gesturing for me to follow him.

Beaming, I hustled over to him and joined him as we headed toward the front gate. I could sense him smiling widely as I gazed upon the humongous drops and corkscrews with awe. When I pulled out my wallet at the ticket counter, he pushed me away, smirking playfully as he paid for both of us. I frowned.

"I told you," he said as he handed me my ticket, "I'm taking care of you today."

I crossed my arms. "I know... But..."

He shook his head and led me through the entrance. "No 'buts', young lady. Just accept it."

I sighed. "Fine! But I owe you now!"

"Okay, we'll leave it at that for now..." A smile slowly pulled at his lips as he gazed over at one of the coasters. "Cause now is the time for adventure!"

He grabbed my wrist and yanked me into a near sprint. "Whoa!" I shouted, "Why are you running?"

"The line is going to be too long! If we don't hurry -excuse me ma'am, awesomeness coming through- if we don't hurry the line will be over two hours."

We jumped in line just as a huge crowd of people were arriving. "X2 is too awesome." He said, panting from his run, "That's why people always ride this, like, first thing."

"Ah... I see." I said, gazing around at all the people in line.

"Have you been here?" He asked, raising his eyebrows in curiosity.

I nodded. "Yeah but it's been a LONG time. The last time I came here, I was in middle school..." I replied, "And I don't remember many of these rides."

His smirk-like grin grew. "Well, then I'll have to try and reintroduce you to them!"

In about a half hour, we finally climbed on the coaster sitting in the front row. "Seriously," I said as I strapped myself in, "You HAD to ask for the front row?"

Toby lips pulled into a childish grin. "Hell yeah. Girrrl, this is life in the crazy lane right here!"

I gasped as the pulled our seats into a position to nearly lay on our backs. When we pulled out of the station, we immediately u-turned into the chain lift, ascending the gigantic hill. The coaster climbed slowly, causing my heart to race with anxiety. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god..." I murmured furiously.

"You okay over there?" Toby called, letting out a chuckle.

"Uh, do I sound okay?" I asked sarcastically, a hint of panic in my voice.

"Well, brace yourself!"

"Wh..." Before I could finish my inquiry, we fell backward down a small hill before our seats flipped to send us in a straight nose-dive toward the pavement. I screamed loudly in horror as we went through the curves of the coaster, our seats spinning around the entire time.

"WHEEEEEWW!" Toby shouted, "Hah hah! WHEEEW!"

Despite the terror I felt as we passed through all the twists and turns, couldn't help but laugh at his signature "whew". He sounded like a little kid that had finally gotten the new toy he had asked for.

When we finally pulled into the station and the undid our latches, I hopped up from my seat and shoved Toby playfully. "I hate you!"

He laughed. "Whyyyy? I thought we were friends!" He whined jokingly.

"You jerk! That ride scared the crap out of me!" I said, "You're lucky you're such a dork; you made me laugh for a while."

"Better to be a dork than a fork."

I cocked my head and raised my brow. "What...?" I was going to question his strange statement but decided it was better off to leave it alone. "Hahaha. Well, alright. Where to now?"

His thin lips pulled slowly into a smile. He held out his hand as he said, "Let's find out."

I hesitantly placed my hand on his. He took hold of it and yanked me alongside him as he began skipping off toward the next ride. Initially, I was completely thrown off by the behavior. However, it didn't take long before I was laughing loudly and skipping along with him.

The next handful of rides were perfectly fine with me; they weren't extremely frightening or over the top. However, when I found myself standing with him staring at the following ride, I felt like I was going to lose my mind.

"Are you serious?"

I looked at the towering track of Superman that overshadowed its main entrance -which resembled the icy structure from the famous Krypton. It gave off the sound that greatly resembled the take-off of an F-18 jet as it shot up the tower. I cringed as the riders plummeted back toward the launching station. Toby pulled me into the building smiling reassuringly. "Come on." He encouraged, "You're going to be perfectly fine!"

"I don't know..." I responded, "I think I might have a heart attack while we are mid-ride!"

He chuckled softly. "No you won't. Just relax! I'll be there next to you! I'll make sure you are okay."

We continued to wait in the long, tedious line for nearly an hour and a half before breaching the loading dock. Toby's jokes had distracted me (to an extent) from the fear that was nesting inside my stomach. But as soon as I watched the car before us go, I was nearly shaking. I swallowed the lump in my throat and closed my eyes. When the car returned to station and the gates opened, my eyes reopened widely. I stepped inside the car and sat down in the far side seat of the front row. He HAD to pick the front row.

I was trembling madly, hands shaking. I threw Toby a look of panic as they locked us in our shoulder restraints. He grinned. "Ready?" He asked sarcastically.

I simply shook my head, at loss for words. My stomach was tied in a the tightest knot and my body felt shaky. I looked fearfully at the employee at the control panel who gave a silent signal to another employee. Suddenly there was a click. My heart skipped a beat and my breath caught.

Without warning, the car shot out from the station at a dramatic speed, causing my hair to blow frantically in the wind. Instinctively, I grabbed Toby's hand with a firm grasp, squeezing it to the point that my nails were digging into his skin. When the car began making the quick ascend of the tower, I felt my eyes grow wider. I stared up at the beautiful blue sky that loomed above our slowly decelerating car. There was a moment of weightlessness as the velocity of the car shifted from forward to a backward plunge. I let out a scream; it was one of the only times I had screamed like a little girl. Toby, on the other hand, let out another signature, over excited "WHEEEW" before chuckling the rest of the way back to the station.

When the vehicle stopped and we were released from our seats, I stumbled out of the car and toward the exit, Toby not far behind me.

"Damn, Ali, you have a strong grip!" He said with a small chuckle, "And really REALLY sharp nails. Are you sure you aren't a Velociraptor? Cause if you are -not that I mind! I love dinosaurs- we need to set some limits on physical contact..."

I looked down at his hand and noticed that there were a few dark red indents on his skin and one was deep enough that it bled. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, taking hold of his hand.

He chuckled. "It's okay! I'm just glad you didn't have a heart attack going up there." He teased.

I blushed. "Did I scream?"

He nodded.

"Badly?"

He nodded again, smiling widely.

I looked away and brushed the hair from my eyes as I blushed a soft pink. "That's just great..." I mumbled incoherently.

My ears perked as I heard him laugh softly. He put his hand on my shoulder. "It's okay to scream, ya know. Everyone has a fear. Everyone gets scared."

I let my lips pull up into a small smile. I leaned in toward him and hooked my arm with his. "What about you?"

"Hm?"

"What are you afraid of?" I inquired, looking up at him with curiosity.

He grinned as he peered into my eyes. "Well... A number of things I suppose!"

"Like...?" I raised a brow.

"Assassin squirrels."

My brow quickly furrowed from its raised position. I gave him a look.

"What?" He said, laughing, "Swear to God they were messing with my poor dog, Griffon! Those are some sneaky bastards! You gotta sleep with one eye open. Those furry tailed ninja critters are always ready and no one knows when they'll attack..."

I laughed loudly and buried my face in his shoulder as I burst into hysterical laughter. Toby stopped walking and I could feel his eyes burning holes in the back of my head while I laughed.

"Geez," he said jokingly, "I didn't know I was this funny..."

"Oh, but you are." I said when I lifted my head shortly, wiping tears from my eyes.

He smiled cutely down at me. "I guess I can pull off SOME jokes." He laughed softly before asking, "So are you hungry for some food?"

I nodded. "Heck yeah! I think I've screamed up a nasty appetite."

"I bet you have!" He chuckled and hooked arms with me. "Let's go eat then!"


	4. Chapter 4

Toby and I settled to eat at the Johnny Rocket's by the log ride near the entrance, quickly ordering our burgers and sitting down at a small table in the corner of the gazebo type café. It was surprisingly comfortable and quiet, the perfect place to strike up some conversation.

"So," Toby said as I consumed one of the warm french fries, "What do you enjoy doing missy? Besides being awesome, of course."

I blushed and swallowed my food. "Awesome? Please, awesome is not a part of my description." I responded modestly. "But, answering your question, I like drawing. And writing."

"Oooo, drawing?" He perked up in curiosity. "Quite the creative type I see!"

"Hah. Yeah well, not professionally anyway. I mean my friends always tell me I'm good but," I shrugged, "I don't think I could get anywhere with it."

"I think you can."

I raised my eyebrows. "You do?"

"Of course! If you have skills and the right personality," he answered smiling, "People have to take you. They're stupid if they don't."

A smile tugged at my lips. "I hope you're right."

He bit his burger and swallowed before exclaiming, "Shooooot, girrrl! Of course I'm right! Toby Joe Turner is always right. I mean, didn't I tell you that you were gonna get through that Superman ride fine? And look here you are joining me at a five-star romantic fast food joint, munching on genuine American style burgers! Was I not right?"

I giggled. "You're right. Sorry to doubt you." I grinned at him before taking a sip of the large Vanilla shake we had decided to share.

"It's okay, darlin'." He responded with a western accent, "Just don't doubt the wise man anymore." He winked and followed me in taking a drink, bringing his face inches from mine. It took all the will inside of me to hide the blush that threatened to creep onto my cheeks. I couldn't help but stare into his deep, hazel-green eyes. Noticing my captivation, Toby grinned and swallowed, sitting back straight to finish his food.

"Now, what about you Mr. Turner? What are you in to?"

"Me? Well..." He scratched his chin as he pondered for a moment. "Hah. You're probably going to think I'm a total dork, but," he chuckled, "I like gaming. I play a lot of computer games. And..." He paused and threw me a look of innocence, "I hope you don't think I'm completely lame for this... But, uh, I make some comedy type skits and upload them on the Internet. Hah hah..." He laughed nervously.

I smiled softly. "I don't think that's lame at all. I think that's great." I said, "I'd like to see your skits sometime."

Toby's lips pulled up into a genuinely sweet smile. "And I'd love to see your drawings sometime."

"Sounds good to me." I said, beaming.

We soon finished our food, only after chugging down the milkshake like a pair of dorks and engaging in a mini food fight that resulted in having to apologize to an old couple after accidentally hitting the husband in the back of the head with a fry. We left the seating area, arms locked, giggling madly.

"Man," Toby said jokingly, "I thought that guy was gonna keel over from a heart attack of frustration!"

I laughed. "I was more worried about the old lady! She looked like she was going to beat the shit out of you with her walker!"

"Hey, I wasn't the one who hit him!"

I frowned playfully. "You just HAD to pull a Matrix move when I fired that fry as hard as I could."

"Uhh, yeah!" He responded, "I probably would have had to turn pirate cause it would have nailed me in the eye!"

"Awwww but eye patches are so sexy!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You think so?"

I nodded, giggling. "Pirates are hot, don't ya know?"

He nudged me playfully. "Maybe I'll get an eyepatch just for you. And I'll bedazzle a little smiley face on it to lighten the awkward moments when I first meet people." He said sarcastically, closing his right eye as he imagined wearing an eyepatch.

Laughing, I patted his chest. "Nahh," I retorted with a chuckle, "I don't think you should get one. You're too cute for one of those things."

He smiled down at me. "Ahhh, you're too modest!"

"Uh-uh! Too honest." I winked.

"Alright, alright. Don't be so sweet, girrrrl." He responded in a playful tone, "You make me want to hug you."

"That's a bad thing?"

"For you it is!" He joked. "I give nasty bear hugs! You may need a lung transplant after I'm through with you."

"Pssssh. Oh please." I teased, "I'm too strong to be damaged by a little bear hug."

"You think so, huh?"

I nodded.

He chuckled. "You are going to regret your arrogance young lady!"

"Hah! No I'm n..."

But before I could finish my sentence, he unlocked arms with me and pulled me against him with amazingly strong arms, squeezing me tightly. I gasped, quickly losing breath. It didn't last long though as Toby released me quickly, laughing at my reaction. "I told you!"

I coughed. "Damn! That is a powerful hug! I was NOT expecting that."

"I gave you a warning." Toby teased, poking the tip of my nose.

I giggled. "Yeah, well NOW I know not to hug you."

"Oh no, you can hug me! I don't always squeeze people's guts out. I give nice hugs too." He smiled cutely.

I furrowed a brow playfully. "I don't know... I don't trust you Mr. Turner. You probably hug people like that all the time."

He frowned. "What did I say about doubting me?" He smirked. "Do I have to teach you a lesson?"

"No..." I whined like a little girl, "I won't doubt you..."

"Good! Now we can move on to the best part of Six Flags!" He exclaimed excitedly.

I cocked my head curiously. "Oooo what's that?"

He gave me a smirk-like grin. "Oh, you'll see..."

Judging by his response I was thinking it was one of two things: it was either the largest, scariest ride at the park or it was the most fun of them all. Maybe it was both.

But I soon found my guess completely off as we stood at the entrance of the Kids' Rides section. "Are you... Serious?" I asked, looking up at Toby.

He beamed. "Uh, yeah!" He exclaimed, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the line for one of the rides, "This is where the fun begins!"

At that point I could have sworn he was completely nuts. The excitement in his eyes was legitimate. How could a grown man be so damn excited to ride these little things?

When it was our turn to get on the tiny bird-cage type swings, I threw Toby a questioning look. He chuckled and nudged me forward. "Just go with it."

I sighed and climbed in one of the cages, quickly finding that there was barely enough room for me, even when I was cross-legged and hunched my back over. Just as the employee slammed the door shut, I looked over at Toby in the cage next to mine. He smiled when his eyes locked with mine. "You know," I called over grinning suggestively, "This would be even better if we shared a cage."

His face contorted in surprise: brows raised and eyes wide. "Dang girl," He yelled back, "I think it's safer for you to be in your own now! Who knows what this ol' bear will do to you..." His smile turned into a smirk-like seductive grin.

Just then the ride started turning slowly. As we swung past the entrance, I couldn't help but laugh as I saw a bunch of little kids giving me dirty looks. "Jealous?" I yelled at one of the little boys. His jaw dropped in an expression of offense. I broke out in laughter and shifted my gaze back to Toby's cage to see him sitting there looking at me with a soft smile. I grinned back and called over, "You aren't as loud as I anticipated there Toby!"

He raised a brow. "You want loud? I'll give you loud!" He latched his hands on the bars of the tiny cage and screamed out toward the kids in line, "WWHEEEEEEEWWW!"

I spent the entirety of the ride laughing while Toby "wheeew"'d the whole way. When the ride stopped and they let us out of our cages, I ran over to him laughing. "You dork! Those kids were looking up at you like 'what the fuck is he doing'!"

He chuckled. "Just as I planned." He responded with a smirk.

I smiled and locked arms with him once again. "Well that's one hell of a plan." I said, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Well, you know I AM a genius." He murmured jokingly.

"Of course you are..." I gasped as I caught sight of something across the way. "A photobooth! Oh my gosh! I haven't done one of those since high school when I did one with my sister at my softball team banquet." I sighed at the sweet memories. "Those are classical..."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Toby exclaimed, unlocking his arm to take hold of my hand, pulling me over to the booth. He yanked me inside, shutting the little curtain. I felt an excited smile creep onto my face. Toby beamed down at me and commenced to adjusting the settings. "Remember," He said turning to me while the camera readied itself, "What happens in the photobooth, stays in the photobooth. And gets printed on a little 5' by 7' photo card." He chuckled and turned to face the camera as the screen began a countdown. The first four pictures were as goofy as anyone could have asked: Toby creeper smiling at the screen, him threatening to eat my head, us growling at each other, and both of us "wheeeew"ing. When the fifth and final picture was about to be taken, Toby leaned down to plant a kiss on my left cheek. My eyes went wide and I blushed just as the flash went off. Toby laughed and bent down to pull the photo cards from the distribution slot. "Here ya go!" He beamed, handing me one as he led me out of the booth. I took hold of the pictures in my right hand and looked over them, giggling as I observed our goofy expressions.

"Wow." I said looking up from the pictures, "We are a couple of goofballs, aren't we?"

Toby smiled. "And proud of it " He responded with a soft chuckle, "I guess that's why we get along so well!"

"I guess so..." I whispered. I looked down to realize that Toby's hand was gently holding mine. I raised my brow in surprise. We... We were holding hands.

"So," Toby said, waking me from my surprised daze, "What do you say we give this park one more stand?"

I smirked. "Let's give these rides a run for their money!"

Toby raised his fist toward the sky. "This. Is. SPARTA!" He shouted before pulling me into another run. We sprinted off toward the last of the rides, acting like a pair of dorks the whole way.

•••

We finally left the park around midnight, just as the crowds were piling out for closing time. My feet were killing me by then and my eyelids were getting heavier by the minute. Toby whistled happily as he led me to his car, swinging his arm as he held my hand. In my other arm, I held a humongous tan Teddy Bear that he had won for me at one of the carnival style game booths.

When we got to the car, he pried open the door for me, holding the bear as I climbed in and handing it back to me once I was settled. He quickly climbed in the driver's seat and turned on the radio. "Any preferences?" He asked.

I yawned and shook my head. "It doesn't matter. I'm sure I'll like whatever you like." I threw him a sleepy smile.

He grinned. "Alrighty, then." He said as he switched to one of the hit stations. As the songs changed, he pulled out of the parking spot, humming along to the Taylor Swift song.

I sighed, smiling at his adorable humming and grin. I hugged the teddy bear and closed my eyes for a moment as I listened to the sound of Taylor Swift's angelic voice harmonizing with Toby's:

You put your arm around me for the first time.  
You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter.  
You are the best thing that's ever been mine...

Next thing I knew, Toby was leaning over me to unbuckle my seatbelt. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty." He murmured softly, taking the Teddy Bear from my lap.

I yawned. "Oh my god. Did I fall asleep?" I asked as I climbed out of the car.

Toby nodded and shut the door behind me, laughing at the guilty look on my face. "Don't worry about it. It's probably better that way seeing as you missed my singing most of the way. Especially when I started belting out OneRepublic." He said laughing.

I laughed drowsily. "I bet you sounded great." I responded as we headed up the stairs of my apartment complex.

"I don't know about that. I can't hit those damn high notes as well a they can." He retorted with a smirk.

We soon reached my apartment where I pulled out my keys and unlocked the door. I led him inside, taking the bear from him to set it on the couch. "Do you want something to drink? Maybe some coffee?" I asked.

"Nah. I gotta get home. I'm meeting up with some of my buds to help them with their video projects tomorrow mornin'." He answered, "Maybe next time." He threw me a smile. "You've got a nice apartment though."

"Thanks! I share it with my sister -she's probably asleep now."

"Older sister?"

"Younger. She's only 22. She's going to school at USC."

"Nice!" He said, nodding in approval. "What for?"

"She's planning on becoming a nurse." I said with a smile.

"Cool, cool. Well," He said with a sigh and scratched the back of his head, "I gotta go catch some Z's."

"Yeah me too." I replied, following him to the doorway where he paused and turned back to me.

"Thanks for coming with me today. I enjoyed every bit of it." He said softly as a genuine smile tugged at his lips.

"Thank YOU for taking me. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. It's nice hanging out with someone as awesome as you."

"Psssh. Well I try." He said jokingly, waving it off modestly. He chuckled. "But, uh, I'll call you sometime so we can get together again. 'Kay?"

I smiled brightly. "Can't wait!"

"Hah hah." He laughed softly, subconsciously leaning closer to me. "Me neither..."

"Drive safe, okay?"

"Always do." He murmured, drawing nearer to me, "Sleep tight."

I leaned up, placing my hands on the sides of his face. "You too..." I whispered before softly pressing my lips to his.

We kissed for a long moment before I pulled away and whispered, "Goodnight, Toby."

He gave me another adorable dimple-adorned smile, murmuring a 'goodnight' before heading down the stairs and to his car. I watched from my doorway as his car pulled away and drove down the street. When he was out of sight, I shut the door and grabbed the bear from the couch, bringing it to my room where I collapsed on the bed. I kicked off my shoes and dropped my bag on the floor. I hugged the bear in my arms and shut my eyes, replaying the day over and over in my head until I finally drifted into a deep dream-filled sleep.


End file.
